The train ride sounds very similar to the one we took in Sri Lanka.

Your market visit sounds fun.

Dgunbug, I am smiling ear to ear with vicarious enjoyment for you, and marvelous memories for me!! I'm glad you and husband are slowly but surely on the mend, in time to have enjoyed Ooty and Coonoor.

We sat in the front bench in first class and had a great view ahead of us--which you probably saw too. If I recall, the first class compartment consisted of about three rows only, right? I loved the excited sounds of "Oooooo!!!" from the cars behind every time we went through one of the numerous tunnels.

The very best part of your report is the descriptions of meeting the families and schoolchildren. There's something--at least in my experience--particularly wonderful about it in India: a sweet, slightly shy, then very open, happy eagerness!! I love your last sentence--so true!!

Your itin had you had Fortune Sullivan. We stayed there too, loved the staff, and loved the lobby staircase, which was then decorated for Christmas.

Very much looking forward to more. Continued "feel better!"

The train ride sounds very similar to the one we took in Sri Lanka. >>

I agree TP and Oozy sounds very like Nuwara Eliya, though fortunately the tours of the tea plantations are rathe better organised.

sorry that you're so tired, dgunbug, but at least you're feeling better. And how lovely to have the chance to have met so many locals.

We arrived late afternoon in Cochin after a drive of approximately 6 hrs. Cochin is another sprawling Indian city with no real centrum area and no tourists sites other than Cochin fort district. We took the time to relax at the beautiful and very modern Marriott hotel which we learned is much further from the fort area than we expected (approx 40 min in traffic). The Marriott is conveniently located behind the largest mall, so we will wander over there sometime during our stay.

Today we visited the fort area viewing the famous fishing boats with their netting, the Dutch church where Vasco Da Gama was buried, the Dutch Palace (now a museum and worthwhile for a short visit), a women's co-op that sold spices, clothing and jewelry and a small Dhobi ghat (laundry area). The Jewish museum which we had been interested in seeing, was closed due to a funeral in the Jewish community. We were told there are only 4 Jewish families remaining now in Cochin.

Our tour of Cochin was somewhat disappointing and we are discovering that the southern towns have far less tourist sites to see than the Rajastan area. While it is interesting to see that all of India is not impoverished as is evident in the more northern regions of the country, we do not view the south as much of a tourist destination. We are finding it more difficult to find areas to wander aimlessly as there are no city centers. While we've had some wonderful interactions with some of the local people
And have enjoyed many of the sites, we are finding our trip to the south a bit of a disappointment compared to our first Indian journey.

Additionally, the distances are far greater between destinations than we had anticipated and I've found this to be somewhat draining. Of course, this too can be because I am still recovering from being ill. The air pollution level throughout our trip has been severe and one can see the heavy smog in the air.

Cochin itself is very modern and affluent city. There are parts of it that remind us of Miami beach and the fort area reminded us of Key West, Florida.

Tonight we will return to the fort area for an evening performance of kerala traditional dancing and tomorrow we will take a back water journey on one of the shikaras (small boats). out of Allepy. More to follow...

Sorry you're not enjoying Kochi so much, but why are you staying at the Marriott? Even the Marriott website admits it's in Ernakulam, not even Kochi, never mind Fort Kochi, which is where you want to be. And which IS a place to wander around.

I loved Kochi, but I was there for Christmas (went to Nine Lessons and Carols at the Anglican church and Christmas Eve mass - in Latin! - at the cathedral) AND I was staying in Fort Kochi, walking distance from everything I wanted to see. I was at the Malabar House, which was a splurge for me, although worth every rupee, but I think hotel-type people stay at the Brunton Boatyard, right on the water.

Hope you enjoy the backwaters. I did an overnight, but while the food was great the boat was a bit primitive, and I believe the water is a lot more crowded these days.

We left our hotel just after 4:00 to return to Ft Cochin to visit the cultural arts village where a Kathakali show was to be performed at 6:00. Our driver suggested we arrive early as we would be allowed to view the make-up demonstration which started at 5:00. While I wasn't expecting much from the performance, we found both the pre performance make-up session and the show itself to be quite entertaining. The make up application is a long arduous production and the results amazing. I would definitely recommend making a visit here to see a performance for anyone visiting Cochan.

Another longggg day of driving from Ooty to Cochin. Hope you were feeling better for this. Did you stop on the way for anything of interest?

Agree with Thursdaysd. I'm really curious why your travel agent put you at the Marriott, as it is nowhere near the area of Cochin which is worth seeing. (Had i seen this on the itin before you actually left the USA, I'd have tried the art of gentle persuasion to talk you out of it. From there, the things you want to see are a long schlep through traffic. I learned this the hard way after booking a place on my own, out in a village in the suburbs, on first trip to Cochin.( After that d.i.y. misjudgment, I run most choices through my very trusted India-based travel agency.)

Again, as Thursdaysd said (and for future travelers) the area by the water, (by the fishing nets) in Fort Kochin is great for just having a wander. Loads of little streets, with things to see. it is also a quick tuktuk ride from there to Jewtown, which in addition to the synagogue, has lots of interesting shops, including the one owned by Sarah, whom our tuktuk driver introduced us to--she is the beautiful elder lady of the remaining Jews still there.

Thanks for the recommendation of the Kathakali performance. Two trips to Cochin, i never made it. Next time...

Interesting to get your take on North vs South.

Calinurse & Thursday - that travel agent would be my husband and me. We always book our own lodgings. The Marriott would be more my husband's idea after hearing about mosquitos in Cochin. We always look first for a prime location. Don't know how we missed the boat on this one. The deal was good price wise and the hotel is lovely, but as you said...too far. I'm afraid the next two days are going to be a huge mistake as well, but I'll blame my dear husband for that one. We will be traveling to Allepy and returning to the Marriott rather than staying overnight and we have scheduled two day trips on the water so that entails a whole lot of schlepping around. I thought we should stay at the hotel recommended by castle & King, but it was more money and my husband thought it would be easy to return to Cochin where we would have much more to do at night. Oh well...you win some, you lose some!

Thanks for all the valuable information. I am hoping to plan a trip to India for later this year. I appreciate your candidness about not loving EVERYTHING :)

Ger

Thanks O'reilly - hate being a neigh sayer, but have to say what we think. Here goes my take on today:

After breakfast we set out to Allepy to take the famous boat ride through the backwaters. Instead of hiring a kervalam, which is a houseboat for overnight stays, we chose a smaller boat which we had heard could go down smaller waterways. We bargained for the price and paid approximately $50 for a 6 hr journey.

The boat had comfortable seating and an overhang for shade. The ride was peaceful despite the fact that the waterways were filled with many tourist boats. That being said, the ride was not what we had anticipated.

Expecting to see villages along the way and hoping to get out to walk around a bit, instead we saw a scene very similar to the Florida Keys. Our driver who we invited along, was also surprised as he had been in the backwaters four years earlier. He informed us that the houses have all been remodeled to the very modern homes which we saw. We stopped for lunch along the way but hesitated to eat anything due to the unsanitary conditions.

Behind the homes were rice fields and along the water way was lush vegetation and many palm trees. While there was not a great deal of activity along the river, we saw women washing clothing, people bathing and people fishing.

Would I recommend a ride on the waters? Perhaps...but I wouldn't go out of my way to do this and I wouldn't hire the boat for more than 3 hrs.

Sorry - houseboat is called shikara.

No, the houseboats are Kettuvallams, formerly used to transport rice and spices.

You might need to do the overnight to find a more rural vibe. But I thought it was as much about chilling out as anything else.

Our boat had a cook, and the food was very good. No alcohol unless you brought it, though.

Thursday - thanks for clarification on boats. The smaller boat that we were on is the shikara. We saw many kettuvallams during the day and yes, they served a meal on those boats. Our boat was definitely relaxing and couldn't be more comfortable. We went out for the same period of time that the kettuvallams go out. The only difference is that they dock for the night around the same time we disembarked. We were more than ready to get off the boat when the trip ended.

Do you mean that the houseboats docked where you disembarked? When I did it we moored for the night, but it was well away from any docks. But it was in 2001, can't believe it was that long ago!

Thursday - not sure where they dock, only know that they dock at same time as we did.

i'm rethinking the south???

Interesting take on your day on the backwaters, Dgunbug. Glad you shared your experience, and sorry to hear it was less than you hoped/envisioned.

The way you describe it is very, very different from what we experienced in 2008. Indeed, my trusted travel agent recently wrote that "the backwaters" are much more crowded in recent yrs, advising if I want to return, don't wait!
I'm interested in your experience when you're based for the day on the other side of Vembanad Lake ( Kumarokom/Kottayam side, vs the Alleppey side)--if as crowded, etc. It does seem, just from the number of hotels , that there is far more development these days, on that side too. The kind of houses you are describing were not waterside 8 yrs ago, although according to our driver, people who'd left India and done well financially esp'lly in USA, were starting to build big modern places in towns, as their second homes for visits back to India.

We stayed in a fantastic place (Philipkutty's Farm) on the opposite side of Vembanad from Alleppey, i.e. the east Vaikom/Kumarokom side. The boat picked us up directly from the homestay's little dock; I believe there are many small places like that.

The boats that go through the narrowest canals where you can "park" bankside and walk along the rivers, are the "country boats." They are more like canoes.

Alleppey is sort of the main "port" for all the types of boats...which is why i think it to board from a homestay or hotel, when the owners know local boatmen, and you don't have to go through "Alleppey Central" to start your backwaters journey. It's one of the reasons, on another thread (don't know if it was yours) I wrote, IMHO it's better to be based a couple days at a place right ON the water, rather than driving back and forth from Cochin, which, given traffic, is a 2.5--3 hour round-trip rode during a day that could be spent otherwise . This is especially exhausting after previous long days of traveling. (I had recent experience like this in northern VN, when long drives affected my enjoyment of the next few days--perhaps I am "projecting"(: )

Thanks for sharing your experience, as it will be something I'll specifically make sure to avoid on another trip to the south. I hope the rest of your time in Kerala, and then TN, will be more what you anticipated.

Have a wonderful trip. I will keep my eye on your reply, how's it anyway..

Calinurse - you are correct that the driving is exhausting and it would have been easier to move on to Allepy for an overnight. Live and learn. But I still thin our opinion of the day itself would be the same. Our driver was even astounded by the changes in the last four years.

Today we slept in and set out for a drive and stroll along marine drive which was not too far from our hotel. There was little to see. Boats were lined up for hire to Cochin fort area and into the backwaters. There were some people strolling and some vendors trying to sell trinkets. We spoke with some sweet girls who were thrilled to take a picture with us in it. It's always fun to be a star!

We left there in search of a loca fruit and vegetable market which is just a few streets off the main shopping area. Being extremely hot, I was a bit cranky and was ready to return to the mall by our hotel. Being promoted as the biggest mall in all of India, we could not pass up a chance to look it over.

Walking through the mall was the highlight of the day. The air conditioning in itself was a delight! We first wandered through a tremendous grocery store to see what type of food items were being sold. We always enjoy looking at groceries in other countries to see the differences in products.

On one floor there is a large theatre area which was crowded with people buying movie theatre tickets. Nearby was a huge amusement area for the kiddies with roller coasters, rock climbing walls, etc. It was as nice as any carnival we have ever been to. There was a bowling alley and an ice skating rink. This is not a mall for poor people, but rather a place of great luxury geared to the very affluent people of Cochin. A large food court area was nearby with a huge variety of food stalls as well as American chain restaurants such as McDonald's, KFC & Baskin n Robbins ice cream.

We barely looked at the stores them self, but plan to rest now and then return later for a light bite to eat and to wander further. Tomorrow we move on to our next destination.

Still following along... Kerala does not seem as interesting as I may have thought. Perhaps we focus on the north if we decide to go to India.